Position Paper on Education

By Ricky Martin

Your support of this campaign is a statement for: Improving education through local control, higher efficiency and proven educational methods and curriculum.

#1. I call upon all citizens who value their community to join in supporting our working teachers by advocating that block grant funds go directly to local school districts.

#2. I fully support the concept of quality education for every child. No child should be left behind. An uneducated child is denied the opportunity to be all they can be. I believe that public education is a local responsibility. I'm committed to the preservation of the neighborhood school with local control.

#3. I believe that taxpayer educational dollars should be spent for improved classroom instruction not for unneeded mandated administrative functions. Schools should be required to maintain high academic standards and social promotion policies are not compatible with this objective.

I realize most students do not like tests. In my opinion to bad, we want to make sure our children are getting the education they deserve. We don't need just one test to evaluate students we need random testing options that prevent teaching solely for improved scores for one specific test and maybe teachers should be required to pass the same test?

In closing I thank you for taking a moment to review my ideas and appreciate other ideas and suggestions as we together strive to improve the system.

Thank you, RICK MARTIN CANDIDATE FOR CONGRESS 1-11-02